How many photos do you get from a wedding photographer?

The short answer

There is no standard number. It depends on the hours, the day itself and the photographer. With us, a full day gives you 600 to 800+ edited photographs in a private online gallery, and there is no hard cap, so a busy day can give you more.

More is not automatically better. What matters is that every photograph in the gallery is finished and worth keeping, and that the whole story of the day is there: the details, the people, the ceremony, the speeches and the party.

What changes the number of photographs

Coverage hours come first. More hours means more of your day is photographed. Standard coverage is 10.5 hours, Luxury is 11.5 and Platinum is 13, and our guide to how many hours of wedding photography you need shows how to work out your own.

How much happens matters as much as how long it lasts. Preparations in two places, a big ceremony, a long drinks reception and a lively evening give more to photograph than a small ceremony and a short meal. A second photographer, if you add one, covers more of the day at once.

Extras can add to the total too. Platinum includes analogue film coverage, which adds about 100 to 150 extra photographs on top of your digital gallery.

Why more photographs is not always better

A gallery where every photograph is edited and worth keeping is more useful than one stretched to reach a bigger number. When you compare photographers, ask whether the number they quote is edited and finished, or every frame they took.

Look for variety rather than repetition. Ten almost identical photographs of the same group are not ten memories. A good gallery gives you different moments, people and angles, with the quiet and funny moments as well as the big ones.

The best check is the simplest: look at complete galleries from real weddings, not only a highlights page, and see whether the whole day holds together. Our questions to ask a wedding photographer guide has more.

What a full day covers

A full day gives you photographs from the whole story: the details and preparations, the ceremony, family groups, the portrait walk, the speeches and the party. We typically suggest starting about two and a half hours before the ceremony, and our coverage runs continuously, so your photographs are spread across the day instead of bunched around the ceremony.

Your own priorities shape it too. Choose the three things you would most love to keep, such as getting ready with a parent, the ceremony or time with grandparents, and share them with us so the coverage supports your day.

What you receive with us, and when

Sneak peeks arrive first, within 24 hours of the wedding: 15 in Standard, 30 in Luxury and 50 in Platinum. They are a few favourites to share with family while the full gallery is edited.

Your full gallery of 600 to 800+ edited photographs follows in a private online gallery, with high-resolution digital downloads and full rights to your photographs. Luxury and above also include a USB. Everything is edited in-house to one shared look, so the whole gallery feels like one day. Delivery is staged, and our delivery guide explains the timings.

If you would like an album, we design it in-house. You choose 60 photographs and approve the layout before anything is printed. Luxury and Platinum photography packages include a wedding album, and albums can be added to other packages for £399 for one or £599 for two.

How to compare photographers fairly

Ask how many edited photographs you receive from a full day, whether there is a cap and how many hours that number covers. Then do the sum: 600 to 800+ edited photographs across a Standard day of 10.5 hours is roughly 57 to 76 photographs an hour.

Compare like with like. A photographer who delivers 400 photographs from six hours of coverage may be giving you about the same per hour as one who delivers 700 from ten, so the headline number tells you little without the hours. Ask, too, what the price includes, such as sneak peeks, downloads, printing rights and albums.

If you are still deciding

Decide which moments matter most to you, then check that the coverage hours and the photographer’s galleries cover them. If a number worries you, ask how they would approach your day; a clear answer is a good sign. Our guide to printing and sharing your wedding photos explains what you can do with them afterwards.

When you are ready, send an enquiry with your date and venue. We reply within a few hours with availability and answers to your questions. An enquiry does not reserve your date; the £120 deposit does, once you are happy to go ahead.

Questions couples ask